We'll praise Jesus today, everyone. We know that when we come to Jesus, we renew our mind. We have a new tongue and a new mind and a new heart. Now there are a lot of Christians, Pentecostal Christians, that think the new tongue just means speaking in a tongue that no one understands, but that their English tongue doesn't change, which is ridiculous, because if you actually come into the household of the faith and you're walking in the kingdom of God, then you will have a new tongue that edifies others as well. You'll be changed, that your mind will not be thinking like the world or how you used to think like other people in the world, and your heart will certainly be different. I want to read to you what the Apostle Paul says about this in Ephesians chapter 4. This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, and the futility of their mind.
You could say here, if you have really come to Jesus, you should not walk as the rest of your fellow Americans, or whatever country you live in. You shouldn't be just pursuing what they're pursuing in the world. Having the understanding of darkness, being alienated from the life of God, because the ignorance that is in them, because of their blindness of their heart, who being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But you have not so learned Christ, meaning you have not learned that sort of Jesus. You haven't learned Jesus with greed, with hatred, with malice. So why are we thinking like Christians in the world, if we have really received the new tongue and the mind of Jesus? If indeed you have heard from Him, and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus, that you put off concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in spirit and in mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
This is something many Christians have not put on, because they haven't been renewed in their mind or in their heart. They're not taking communion with Jesus. They're not eating His flesh and drinking His blood. They're eating and drinking the world, and because they're eating and drinking the world, they can't possibly have the mind of Christ. This is why they're still cursing, blasphemous thoughts are coming into their mind. They are exactly like the world. We need to put on righteousness and holiness, true righteousness. Therefore, putting away lying, let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor. We need to be speaking in our new tongue with our neighbor. Whoever we come across, we need to be the light of the world. This doesn't mean that we're just speaking gibberish. This doesn't mean that we're just speaking in a prayer language.
This means that we have the new tongue, which comes from a renewed heart and mind, and now we're speaking the mysteries of God, just as they spoke in Acts, when the Holy Spirit came on them, and they were speaking to all these different nations of people in their own tongue, and they understood, and some of those people repented, and were added to the number of the new Christians. So let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. Be angry and do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.
We always want to be praying and asking Jesus, that whatever we say is edifying to others, not tearing others down, not blasphemous of course, not gossipy, not envious words, but words that are building each other up, and helpful to the body of Christ, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. You know a lot of Christians, they are grieving the Holy Spirit, especially with the TV, with movies, with their entertainment. They're grieving the Holy Spirit, because they say, well I don't say those words, I don't think those things, but they allow those things to play on their TV, and they're paying their money to watch these movies that are blaspheming God, speaking evil continually, and because they allow this stuff into their household, they themselves are no longer holy or pure as well. They are allowing that into their mind, that garbage, instead of allowing holiness and righteousness to shine through them. So we need to make sure that we don't grieve the Holy Spirit, by listening or acting like the devil.
Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice, and be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. In some place, Jesus says that He will forgive, the same way that we forgive others. And that is a word, because if we have bitterness in our heart towards others, we can know that God will not forgive us. So we need to make sure that if we have hatred in our heart, or bitterness towards others, or seeds of unforgiveness, that we make sure that we forgive before the sun goes down, that we can have communion, and not be eating and drinking judgment on ourselves. So what tongue and what mind have you received? Have you really received the mind of Christ? Have you received the tongue that comes from Jesus when we receive the Holy Spirit? Or do you still have a tongue of envy, and bitterness, and hatred? Are you still thinking like the world? Are you thinking racist thoughts, or thoughts that put others down? Make sure that you're not thinking yourself better than others. A lot of Christians just hope that judgment comes on the world.
They want to see other people hurting. But Jesus said that He came to save people, not to destroy them. Remember when the disciples asked about the Pharisees, should we just call fire out of heaven and kill them all? And Jesus didn't say, yes Peter, send fire out of heaven. But what did Jesus say? If we remember what Jesus said, He said He came not to destroy people's lives, but He came to save them. We need to be praying that people repent, and that they come to the Lord, and are saved by His grace and His mercy. Of course God's judgment is going to come on the wicked. God's judgment is already here. But we as Christians, who want to be fruitful, are to be calling others to repent. We always want to be hopeful. Love hopes all things. It wishes for repentance. It hopes that people come into the household of the faith. We want to make sure that we're no longer conformed to the world, or acting like worldly Christians, but that we are conformed to the likeness of Jesus, and that we really receive the Holy Spirit, that baptism of the Holy Spirit, that we know happens when we have a transformed tongue, and a transformed mind. So I want to pray for those of you that want true repentance, that want to be part of the household of the faith.
"Lord Jesus, I pray for those that are here today listening, and they know that they have sin in their life. They know that they have messed up. They know that they have had thoughts and words in them that are not pure, but they know that they want your righteousness. They want to eat your flesh, and drink your blood. So I pray for someone who is listening today that wants to be pure, that wants to be purged and purified, that you would purify their heart and their mind, that they would be renewed, that they could have communion with you Lord Jesus, that they would eat your flesh, and drink your blood, and come part of your new covenant. I pray that we would be lights to others, that your Holy Spirit would be shining through us, that more people would be added to our number, that they would see our good works, and that they would glorify our Father in Heaven. In your name I pray, Lord Jesus. Amen."
